Ever so often, a book begets adventure unlooked-for. That’s certainly the case for Charlotte Blackburn, plucky heroine of Raquel Byrnes’s The Tremblers, and so shall it be for readers fortunate enough to crack open this rip-roaring tale of post-apocalyptic steampunk peril.

When Charlotte’s aristocratic father suddenly vanishes, she is thrust into a realm of espionage and rebellion, pursued across a broken, disease-ravaged land by relentless factions she doesn’t understand. Can she trust the dashing Ashton Wells, or does he too operate in that gray haze between the good and evil she once thought so plain?

Byrnes writes with a strong, clear voice, and the occasional syntactical stumble cannot impede the momentum of this narrative. Romance kindles, dirigibles detonate, and the cast of charmers is forced to face trial after trial by fires both breathtaking and heartrending.

Best for: Adults and teens seeking a vividly drawn adventure yarn that does seemingly everything, and does it exceptionally well.

Discern: Pervasive violence, death, some sexual tension, elements of zombie-esque horror, and sporadic scriptural references.

Raquel Byrnes writes in several genres including YA steampunk, fantasy, and Gothic mystery. She lives in Southern California with her husband, six kids, and various reptiles.

RaquelByrnes.com
@RaquelByrnes